Nonslip handle for tooth or denture brushes



Feb. 9, 1954 s. H. GROSSMAN 2,668,308

NONSLIP HANDLE FOR TOOTH OR DENTURE BRUSHES Filed April 3.. 1950INVENTOR. SAMUEL H. GROSSMAN Patentecl Feb. 9, 1954 BRUSHES Samuel: HG'rossman, Gakland, cam-z, assignor' to Pauline Grossman, Oakland,Calif.

Application Aprilt, 1950, Seri'afNo. 153,515

This invention relates to brushes used for cleaning teeth or denturesand has particular reference to the handle structuresthereof.

An object oft-he invention is to provide in an article of the classdescribed a handle member, possessing the usual highly polished surfacefinish; which is provided with improved means for inhibiting excessiveslippage of the users wet or soapy fingers along the handle duringmanipulations of the brush, which may cause loss'of con- J trol of thelatter and possible droppage and breakage thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an article of the typereferred to which is equipped with. a brush element at each end of thehandle member thereof, anovel construction of the handle member atapoint intermediate the respective brush elements whichin normal use ofeither brush will maintain. the other brush. away from annoying andpossible irritating. engagement with portions of the users fingers orhand.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved combinationtooth and denture brush which may be produced equally as economically asother comparabl article of this type.

Theinvention possesses other objects. and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It isto be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by thesaid drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of theinvention as set forth in th claim.

Referring to the drawing: 2

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a combined tooth and denture brushshowing included therein an improved handle member constructed inaccordance with the principles of my invention. L

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the brush shown in Figure 1. V

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a brush of the character referred toshowing a modified form of handle member included therein.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 3.

In conventional toothbrushes and in particular those special varietiesprovided with brush elements at opposite ends of the handle member andused interchangeably for regular brushing of teeth, for reachingcomparatively inaccessible recesses of bridgework or for facilitatingthecleaning of dentures, the usually highly polished handle element is verydifficult to grip securely 12 Claim: (Cl. 15-406) particularly if theusers fingers are wet OFSOQZHY with the result that the handle maysometimes slip from the fingers, the user may lose control of thebrushand the latter may fall to the-hard washbasin or floor and possiblybecome broken. Inthose types of special-purpose brushes having theconventional large group of'bris tles at one end of the handle memberand a comparatively smaller tuft or group-of bristlesat the oppositeend, the latter are usually so positionedthat they may press orrubagainst the sides of the user's hand or fingers and since the liar'rdmay-be wet and the skin thereof unusually tender; annoying and sometimespersistently painful chatting,

' abrasion or actualpuncturing of the areas con tacted by the bristlesmay result.

Ihave provided" an improved toothbrush where i'nprovision ismade forpositively limitingmnve" ment of'a user's hand or fingers along thehandle member thereof after a; proper grip thereon has been securedsoas" to obviate theaforementioned objectionable features inherent inpresently available articlesof this general character. In the'form ofthe" invention shown in Figure r an elongated handle of preferably"synthetic resinoid 1 material is provided having" at one end'a:laterally broadened head? portion 6; in which the group of filamentarybristles 1- comprising the toothbrush of conventional size and'forn'rare secured i'rr-a well known manner. From an end of the head portion 6extends a preferably integral stem or grip portion 8, for engagement bythe hand or fingers of the user, provided at its distal extremity withan integral and preferably angularly disposed stem 9 formed with alaterally enlarged or bulbous tip H in which an auxiliary brushcomprising a smaller group of bristles I2 is suitably secured extendingpreferably correspond ingly with and from the same side of the device asthe principal group of bristles I. At a point on the grip portion 8intermediate the ends thereof, stop means is provided which isengageable by the side of the user's hand or fingers to definitelyposition the latter relative to the principal group of bristles andlimit movement or slippage of the hand along the handle member and whichcomprises essentially a pronounced shoulder extending from at least oneside or surface of the grip portion 8 at an angle approachingperpendicularity with respect to the grip portion surface so as tominimize any tendency to spread the grip of the user's hand or fingerslaterally of the grip portion under a force resulting from movement orpressure tending to move the hand --.or fingers longitudinally of thegrip portion. Such structure may take one of several desirable forms andas here shown comprises wing members l3 preferably formed as integralparts of the grip portion 8 extending laterally from preferably thenarrow sides of the latter and projecting therefrom sufficiently toeffectively stop the hand or fingers as aforesaid, the principalrequirement being, as, previously mentioned, that the mean plane of theshoulder surface l4 intersect the adjacent longitudinal surface of thegrip portion 8 at about right angles so that there will be no tendencyfor the hand or fingers to slip over and beyond the wing members.Another important constructional requirement is that the shouldersurfaces 14 be spaced along the handle away from the bristles l2sufficiently so that when the grip portion 8 is held in the normal graspof the users hand or fingers, the bristle group l2 will be held awayfrom possible engagement with immediately adjacent portions of the saidhand or fingers.

In Figures 3 and 4 is shown a modified form of device comprising thefunctional equivalent of the structure above described. As hereillustrated, the head portion 6, the main bristle group 1 and the stemor grip portion 8 are substantially the same as in the structure ofFigures 1 and 2. The stem 8, however, at the end thereof remote from thehead portion 6 is provided with a laterally directed bend [6 to form ashoulder surface I! whose mean plane intersects the adjacentlongitudinal surface of the stem 8 at about right angles, an oppositeand continuing bend it being also provided which extends into a com-.-paratively slender arm l9 lying in approximate parallel relation withthe stem or grip portion 8 and provided at its distal end with thebulbous tip I I in which the auxiliary brush bristles I2 are secured.-As in the case of the structure shown in Figures land 2 the brushbristles l2 possess at least the same spaced relationship with theshoulder H as the bristles bear toward the shoulder surfaces I4. It willbe thus seen that when the users hand or fingers are gripping the stemor grip portion 8 the former may slide along the latter only until theside of the hand or a finger engages and is stopped by the shoulder I!thus limiting further movement of the hand relative to the handlemember.-

The above described improvements of my invention will obviously enhancethe ability of the user to maintain a secure grip on the toothbrush inorder that full control of the latter in the tooth brushing operationsmay be had regardless of whether or not the grip member may be wet,soapy and slippery and to insure that the hands or fingers do'not comeinto uncomfortable engagement with the auxiliary brush member.

I claim:

A toothbrush comprising an elongated relatively flat stem having anupper and lower surface and provided with an integral end portionangularly related to the general plane of said stem, whereby the lowersurfaces of said stem and end portion define an obtuse angletherebetween, 'said stem having a greater length than said end portion,a first group of bristles secured to the distal end of said end portionon the lower surface thereof, a second group of bristles secured to thedistal end of said stem on the lower surface thereof, and integralportions of said stem extending transversely of the longitudinal axis ofsaid stem from the opposed sides thereof to provide a pair of opposedshoulders disposed substantially normal to said axis, said shouldersbeing disposed adjacent said angular related end portion, and divergingportions of said stem interconnecting the outermost portions of saidshoulders and said end portion.

SAMUEL H. GROSSMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS KiskyJuly 22, 1952

